


Want

by Kiki242



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3719947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiki242/pseuds/Kiki242
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Started out as Laurel and Nyssa battle their feelings for each other. Then became a whole different story about them taking on Ra's Al Ghul in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I was getting some Lauryssa feels from Nyssa helping out Laurel and Laurel wanting to help her out with the League.

* * *

Nyssa walked briskly ahead of Laurel in the underground world below Starling City that belonged to the League of Assassins. She offered the woman a quick glance to see her nervously taking in her surroundings. If she was honest with herself, Nyssa could admit that she was feeling uneasy herself. She had no idea as to why her father had called for Laurel, but she knew that it would probably save the lives of her parents if Laurel came to his call. She also felt that it was best that she accompanied her for obvious reasons.

Once they reached the large doors that Nyssa knew her father was on the other side of, she stopped and turned to Laurel, "I understand that you are scared but do not show it. My father doesn't like weakness but do not come at him cocky. We do not want a confrontation on our hands", Laurel nodded at her advice.

"Why does he want to see me?" Laurel asked with confusion.

"I do not know", Nyssa answered with a shake of her head, "just do as I said and be cordial", with that said, Nyssa turned away from Laurel and opened the doors that would take them to her father. Just as she expected, he was placed at the head of the room in a large chair. Nyssa and Laurel entered the room and made their way over to him. They stopped some ways in front of him where Nyssa bowed to him in the form of getting down to her knee. Laurel looked at her in surprise but Nyssa did not meet her gaze.

Laurel opted not to follow her example and continued to stand just as she was. She looked up from Nyssa's form to meet the cold, blue eyes of Ra's Al Ghul. When she met his gaze, Laurel felt her stomach churn and her nerves kick it up several notches. He looked as deadly as she believed him to be.

For a long moment, he didn't speak as he examined them both. After finishing his inspection, he finally spoke, "stand, my child",

Nyssa followed his order and got to her feet, "father", she said softly. She felt a sense of familiarity overcome her. This was a routine they went through whenever she returned from a mission. That time seemed like a lifetime ago but it has been only two years since her departure from the League of Assassins. The white hot anger, hurt, and betrayal that she had felt when her father had chosen Oliver (and now a man named Bruce Wayne) over her has surprisingly simmered considerably since she's been away. A year ago she wouldn't have been able to stand the sight of her father.

"You came along with her", he said, flickering his eyes towards Laurel momentarily.

"I felt that it was best", Nyssa replied.

He didn't respond to her and turned his attention to the one he summoned. Laurel took a deep breath to calm herself as his gaze fell upon her, "do you know why I summoned you, girl?"

"No", she answered softly,

He stood up from his seat and made slowly approached her, "I have been keeping an eye on you, Ms. Lance", Nyssa felt some alarm at those words. They gave her some inkling as to why her father wanted to see Laurel, "I have seen you training and taking up the mantle of your sister to honor her," he said smoothly.

The knowledge of this made Laurel even more uneasy, she swallowed thickly before answering, "Why is that? Why have you been watching me?"

"At first it was to keep an eye on her", Ra's answered, shifting his gaze to his daughter who stiffened slightly by Laurel's side, "then, I began to notice you. You are a metahuman with a capability of a sonic scream, I find this to be a rather useful tool. One that is fighting to protect her city in any way that she can. I have also heard about your advancements in your training, seems like you catch on quite quickly",

Laurel smiled softly, "I have a good teacher", she looked at the corner of her eye to see Nyssa fight off a smile.

Ra's looked to Nyssa momentarily before answering, "Indeed you do. But it's more than that, Black Canary. You seem to be made out for this life. As though you were born for it,"

Laurel shook her head, her tresses shaking as she did, "I wasn't. It just happened",

"I think you were. Perhaps even more so than you sister", he replied coldly. Nyssa didn't react to his words due to knowing what he was trying to do, Laurel on the other hand stiffened considerably as her stare hardened. Nyssa glanced at her from the corner of her eye trying to send her a warning look, one that she did not catch.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Laurel asked in a harsher tone.

Ra's ignored her question and continued on, "You and I want the same thing in this world. That being a world where justice served and evil does not prevail. You can do that here with the League. I want you to join",

Nyssa's suspicions were confirmed to be true and this worried her. She knew what type of woman Laurel was and what her response would be. She also knew the repercussions for such a reply. Laurel on the other hand, looked at Ra's in complete surprise. This was not what she had been expecting and didn't know how to truly respond. After a moment from gathering her thoughts, she responded, "I'm no killer. The life of the League isn't for me",

Nyssa tensed slightly at Laurel's words. She knew that her father didn't take no for an answer. She watched as his jaw clenched at Laurel's rejection, "This is more than just killing, girl. This is the way to the perfect world. One that you fight for on the streets and in that court room you hold so dearly to your heart",

Laurel shook her head, "no, I fight for justice and to keep people safe. This is something else where you decide who has the right to live and die. I will never kill for you,"

"I will allow you to leave this place alive but know this, I do not take no for answer. You will either say yes or pay the price. The choice is yours, girl",

"Father, she is not one for this life at all. She doesn't have the killer instinct. It would be a mistake to bring her in", Nyssa spoke up in hopes of deterring her father from his interest in Laurel. She was not fit for the life of an assassin nor would she come easily into it, Nyssa was sure of it. Her father's want for Laurel to be a part of it was going to lead to a disastrous end. "I have trained her and guided her for the past year now. I know what she's willing to do and what she's capable of. Killing isn't exactly on that list,"

He regarded her with a stern stare for a second, "do not speak out of term", he turned his attention back to Laurel who had been watching the exchange between them with focused eyes, "you will join me", with that, Ra's left the room leaving the two women alone with his foot soldiers. Nyssa turned on her heel and began to head to the other exit with Laurel following suit. When they reached the doors Nyssa stopped a turned her attention to one of the guards at the door, "tell my father to leave her alone", Laurel perked up at Nyssa's words. They were eerily familiar to what she had told her father when he pointed a gun at her. After delivering her message Laurel and Nyssa left the underground lair.

Once they had returned to Laurel's apartment, Nyssa busied herself with making sure that it was secure. She made sure every entryway possible into the apartment was locked and rigged with an alarming device. She even went as far as setting up a trip wire in front of the front door, "they could come tonight", she murmured noticing Laurel's curious look.

"Do you need any help?" Laurel asked softly to which Nyssa shook her head no. She needed to do everything accordingly and didn't have time to make sure Laurel did everything appropriately. Laurel watched in fascination as Nyssa moved about. It was quite a sight to see Nyssa like this, when she has a set purpose and mission that needed to be completed. The current one being keeping her safe from the wrath of her father. Laurel was deeply touched by that, Nyssa willing to go against her father for her safety.

Once she was finished securing the apartment, Nyssa placed herself on the couch with her bow in hand and arrows strapped upon her back. Laurel came and sat beside her after turning off all the lights as instructed. When she was by her side, Nyssa turned to Laurel, "tomorrow we will prepare with the others to get ready to take on my father, again. We will need to move you somewhere else as well. I will cover you on your way to and from work,"

"Nyssa, I want to thank you for this. Standing up against your father for me. I know how much the League still means to you and this is more than I could possibly ask for", she said softly.

Nyssa responded in a soft voice, "It's nothing. I would do anything for you", she stared deeply into Laurel's green eyes.

Laurel smiled softly at her words and felt her heart melt, "that's rather sentimental of you,"

"I'm capable of it from time to time", Nyssa replied in the same soft voice. They fell into a comfortable silence as they stared deeply into each other's eyes. Laurel took note of the way that Nyssa was currently staring at her. She had noticed that Nyssa had been giving her that look increasingly over the past few weeks. It reminded her of the way she used to look at Sara. Nyssa was the one who broke the eye contact by looking at the clock that was hanging on the wall, "it's getting late. You should head off to bed", Nyssa whispered when she turned her attention back to Laurel.

"Are you going to stay up all night on guard?" Laurel asked with a laugh in her voice.

Nyssa nodded, "it's not the first time. I will be fine",

"I could make you some coffee, Nyssa", Laurel offered but Nyssa refused. With that settled, Laurel leaned over to Nyssa, closing the space between them. Nyssa sat up straighter and felt her breathing become labored at Laurel's proximity. Laurel placed a soft kiss on her cheek and let her lips linger. Nyssa shivered at the contact and closed her eyes momentarily. She opened them when she felt Laurel pull away and met her heated gaze with one of her own, "goodnight, Nyssa", Laurel said softly with her face mere inches from Nyssa's. She didn't break eye contact as she slowly stood and turned to head to her bedroom. Nyssa watched her as she went, fighting the urge to follow after her. Nyssa let out a breath as Laurel's door closed with a soft click.

Nyssa sat back and rested her head against the back of the couch and stared up at the ceiling as she still felt the pull to follow after Laurel. She sighed as she felt a wave of shame wash over her. Her feelings for Laurel were wrong and disrespectful to Sara. Sara. She was the first person that Nyssa had ever truly loved. Who brought so many things into her life and her she was honoring her memory by falling for her sister.

Sara had been her heart and soul. Nyssa believed that when she died so did her ability to love but Laurel proved her wrong slowly over time. Her feelings for Laurel didn't develop instantaneously as they did with Sara. In fact, she barely realized how important Laurel became to her over time. It happened months ago when Laurel was shot one night. It had been terrifying looking down at her bleeding out and not being able to stop it. Nyssa had been petrified at the thought of losing her. It reminded her of when she thought Sara was dying in her arms. It was then that she was hit with the realization that she had fallen in love with Dinah Laurel Lance.

Nyssa was racked with guilt by how she disrespected the memory of her beloved. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't change how she felt and her feelings only continued to grow. It became worse when she became aware of the longing gazes Laurel sent her way. Nyssa also noticed the guilt that laid underneath those looks. It seemed that Laurel felt ashamed of her feelings as well. Things between them became rather tense as they both put walls up and turned their friendship into one of purely business where Nyssa had a place to stay in return of training Laurel.

This had only lasted briefly when one morning, over an eerily silent breakfast, Laurel seemed to be fed up with the tension and stated that the way they were acting was stupid. They could still be friends as they were previously and whatever it was between them would pass over with time. But it hadn't and only seemed to be getting worse. Moments like the one they had shared like the one only minutes ago were becoming more and more common. Nyssa was sure that if they continued on like this, they were going to do something they would end up regretting. They were both women of honor and wouldn't dare do something to dishonor the memory of someone who they held so dearly to their hearts.

Nyssa sighed at her thoughts and sat up. She felt sleepiness seep into her as she stifled out a yawn. Perhaps she should've taken up Laurel's offer for coffee. Nyssa sat up even more in attention as Laurel's bedroom door opened and she slowly came out wearing some rather short sleeping shorts and tank top. Nyssa swallowed thickly at her appearance.

"Nyssa", Laurel said softly as she approached the former assassin. Her green eyes stared heatedly at Nyssa, a look which Nyssa returned.

"What is it, Laurel?" Laurel continued to come closer as she didn't answer. She stopped only when she was a hair's breath away from Nyssa who was still sitting on the couch.

Laurel raised her hand and brushed away fallen strands away from Nyssa's face, "I want you",

Nyssa's eyes widened at her words, "we can't, Laurel", she said as she grabbed Laurel's hand to remove it from her person in an attempt to put a stop to this. However, Laurel would not be deterred and straddled Nyssa, placing herself in her lap.

Laurel rested her forehead against Nyssa's, "why not? We both want this", she whispered seductively. Nyssa closed her eyes tightly as she felt her control slipping. It fell even more through her fingers as Laurel brought her lips directly above her ear, "I want you to make love to me, Nyssa", she whispered, striking a cord within Nyssa, who reacted by grabbing her roughly by the hair and bringing her lips to hers in a brutal kiss. Nyssa groaned at the contact as Laurel returned her kiss with the same vigor. Nyssa forced her tongue into Laurel's mouth and let her hands freely roam her body. They went from Laurel's hair, to her back, and settled on her ass where Nyssa gave a squeeze, eliciting a moan from the lawyer. Her hands worked their way up to the hem of her top and pushed it up and over Laurel's head, breaking the kiss.

Nyssa took her in with hungry eyes for a moment before pulling her closer by the waist and attacking her neck with small bites followed by kisses, "Nyssa", Laurel moaned softly as she lulled her head to the side to give Nyssa more access who took advantage of it and began to set a trail to her shoulder. She also slid one hand up Laurel's back to unhook her bra.

Just as she had finished unfastening it, Nyssa heard the familiar whooshing sound of an arrow and felt Laurel tense in her arms. She pulled back in confusion to see Laurel's face contorted in pain and blood dripping from her mouth. She then looked down in horror to see and arrow protruding from Laurel's stomach. "I told you, girl. Your heart makes you weak", Nyssa heard the deep baritone of her father's voice. She looked beyond Laurel's shoulder to see him standing before them with another arrow drawn back, ready to land the killing blow.

"Father, no!" she yelled as he shot the arrow off to kill Laurel. Nyssa woke with a start. In a single movement, she jumped from her position on the couch and pointed her bow, with an arrow drawn at Laurel who stood right outside her bedroom with a worried look on her face. She raised her hands in a sign of peace and slowly approached Nyssa who was still feeling the effects of her nightmare. She was covered in a sheen of sweat and her eyes were wild.

"Nyssa, are you alright? I heard you scream and you look like you've just seen a ghost", Laurel said with concern.

Nyssa slowly lowered her weapon and took a shuddering breath to calm her ragged nerves. She stood up straight and put her stoic mask back in place, "I'm fine", she said lowly. She started to make her way to the kitchen, "go back to bed", she said, not looking back at Laurel.

Laurel ignored her order and followed after her. Nyssa heard her footsteps and opted to ignore her. When she got to the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. Laurel stopped in the way leading to the kitchen and watched her friend with concerned eyes, "is everything okay?" she asked softly. The assassin ignored her while she unscrewed the cap took a big gulp of water. Laurel sighed and decided to drop it for now. She walked into to the kitchen and began to make a pot of coffee. As she was setting the pot up, she felt Nyssa's eyes on her.

"This isn't about you", Nyssa murmured softly as she placed her water bottle on the counter. Laurel stopped with what she was doing and turned to look at Nyssa in confusion. "My father wanting you to join isn't about you. It's about me, I realized. He's targeting you to get to me. He knows me inside out and he just knew", Nyssa stopped mid-sentence and looked away from Laurel.

Laurel felt the weight of Nyssa's unspoken words and didn't know how to respond. This was a subject they avoided after restarting their friendship. It was strange how it was Laurel who decided it was best to ignore their feelings completely. She was usually the one to get Nyssa to talk about what was bothering her or what she was feeling. After mulling it over, Laurel decided to tackle bigger problem at hand and continue to avoid the other issue right along with Nyssa's unfinished sentence. "Regardless of why he's doing this, we stick to the plan. We prepare to take them on", Laurel suggested.

Nyssa shook her head, "no. I will not have you risking your lives for me. I will do as he wants and become a member once more",

Laurel's looked at her in slight alarm, "you want to go back?"

"It would be for the best",

"How can you go back so easily and bid to his will? That's not you anymore",

"I was born into that life, Laurel. It's in my veins and for the longest time it was the only thing I had known. No matter what, it is a part of who I am. For most of my life it was my entire being",

Laurel didn't seem satisfied with Nyssa's words. Laurel looked rather pained as she struggled with herself. Nyssa going back home would mean losing her completely, "Nyssa, I can't lose you", she said honestly.

Nyssa smiled rather sadly at that, "you never had me", she said softly. It hurt to see the look on Laurel's face at those words but it was true.

"It's not the way I want it but it's the way it has to be", she whispered.

"I know. That's part of the reason why this is best. I can't keep living this lie, Laurel. It's best if we go our separate ways. On top of how dangerous it is for me to not do what he wants me to do. I have to go back", Nyssa said softly, "we agreed that nothing would ever happen between us because of Sara. We are going to stick to that agreement and I'm going home with my father",

A certain light ignited in Laurel's eyes, "we'll live by this agreement tomorrow", she stated before closing the distance between them and kissing Nyssa hard on the mouth. Nyssa returned it and pulled her closer by the waist. Laurel yielded to the feel of Nyssa's tongue against her lips and allowed her entry. Laurel groaned at the feeling of Nyssa's tongue against hers and pushed her backwards and into the counter. The kiss became more and more heated as their hands began to roam. Laurel broke the kiss and pulled Nyssa's quiver up and over her head, she then dropped it mindlessly on the ground. She went on to unhook Nyssa's cloak which followed the same path as the quiver. Nyssa pulled her into another kiss and started to move them towards Laurel's room. They shed the rest of their clothing along the way.

Hours later, as dawn was breaking, Nyssa pulled herself from Laurel's warm embrace. She got up, dressed, and gathered what she needed for her journey. Once she was ready to leave she hesitated at the door. She glanced back at the door to Laurel's room and felt the pull to join her in bed again. She walked slowly and quietly to the room and stood in the doorway. She watched Laurel sleep for some minutes. The previous night's events came to the forefront of Nyssa's mind. They had started off urgent and needy, both burning off all the pent up sexual tension. Then things slowed and every touch, caress, and kiss was filled with the love they felt.

Nyssa swallowed the lump in her throat right along with the memories. She needed to get going. She turned and left the apartment to go back to the League of Assassins, leaving behind her heart and a letter next to Laurel's pillow.

* * *

Please leave a review telling me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is the second chapter. I wasn't originally planning on doing it but people asked so here it is.

* * *

Nyssa shot off an arrow and watched as it hit the tennis ball that was thrown up in the air. She gave a nod to the lower classed League member to throw up some more. She hit them all with ease. She lowered her bow and shook her head at the young man whose name she did not bother to learn. She was done with this for the day. It was not enough to take her mind off her troubles. That being how miserable she was. She had been back as a full-fledged member of the League of Assassins for five months now and she hated it. In fact she despised the damn place.

She hated every single aspect of Nanda Parbat and the League as a whole now. Which was surprising considering this place was once the home she had ever known, on top of the League being something she had always dreamed of running. When she had first left, Nyssa had missed it all. Now she wanted to be far away from it. Perhaps the worst part of it was the only time she could get away from the place was being sent out on a mission, which meant that she had to kill.

During her time away from the League, there had been countless times that Laurel had to stop her from landing the killing blow on an adversary. She was constantly telling her that they couldn't play judge, jury, and executioner. At first, Nyssa would let the person live and simply scoff at Laurel's weakness. Then overtime it just stayed with her. It became embedded in her that they didn't have the right to determine who lived or died. However, Nyssa was a natural born killer and nothing could take the innate bloodlust that the League and her father had implemented in her. While she knew it was wrong and horrible, she couldn't help the rush she felt when hunting down a target or when seeing their blood spill. What made it worse was that she would always wonder what Laurel would think about her feelings or her actions. Nyssa knew that Laurel and would be horrified and disgusted that she could even romanticize the thought of loving someone like her.

Nyssa let out an aggravated huff and headed to the salmon bar to clear her head. She walked to the far corner to where it was placed. Once she reached it, she jumped up and began her ascension. As she went up, Nyssa did the opposite of what she wanted to do and delved deeper into her thoughts. Another thing eating away at her was how she still betrayed the memory of Sara. It should've been her lips that she dreamed of at night, it should've been her warmth and touch she yearned for, and it should've been the thought of her smile that lightened her heavy heart. While she still missed Sara dearly, she wasn't the one she yearned for. It was Laurel.

Nyssa's face scrunched up as she forced herself up the ladder again. It was rather insane to miss someone and to feel awful about missing that certain someone. But that what was coursing through her mind and heart. She missed the warmth and companionship that Laurel offered. It was hard to go from having someone to talk to and simply relax with to the cold place of the League of Assassins. Laurel and the others even, had showed her what it was like to simply lay back and have fun. Nyssa missed that, the simple pleasures in life that weren't offered with the League.

Seeing as her thoughts were not going to give her peace, Nyssa decided to continue to work on the salmon ladder until she was exhausted. It was better than walking around being miserable and feeling sorry for herself. It was times like these that she could understand as to why Sara didn't want to stay. It was hard to believe that anyone who experienced the outside world could be happy here. Nyssa knew that Sara would want her to be happy, perhaps even if that was with her sister. Maybe Sara wouldn't be upset with them being together. Or maybe that was Nyssa's mind trying to appease her guilt over falling in love with Laurel.

After several repetitions on the salmon ladder, she was interrupted when a fellow member came into the training room and told her that her father wanted to see her. Heaving a sigh, Nyssa dropped down from the bar and headed out of the training room but not before grabbing her towel. As she walked to the Lazarus Pit, she used her towel to dry off the sweat covering her neck and shoulders. Once she reached the room she addressed Ra's Al Ghul, "you wanted to see me, Father?"

He had his back to her from his sitting position within the pit and turned his head slightly to regard her, "I have a mission that I want you to carry out on your own," he said simply.

Nyssa stood up straighter in attention, rather surprised and intrigued by this, "who is it?"

"The name is not important. You will be given an address and a description of the person. She's someone who stands in the way of what we, you are trying to achieve here. You will leave immediately," he ordered.

Nyssa looked at the back of her father's head in apprehension. She had a sinking feeling in her gut and knew that her father was withholding something important from her. Despite that she took her orders as a loyal member should and set out to complete her mission.

* * *

By the time she arrived in Gotham City, it was late at night. Nyssa figured that she could go on and carry out the assassination while the target was sleeping. She could get this over with quickly and perhaps indulge in what this city had to offer before heading back to Nanda Parbat. She hadn't had any "fun" since being with the League.

The description of the target was very similar to that of Laurel. But that wouldn't make sense for her to be wanted by them still. Nyssa came back as her father wanted and Laurel was not an enemy of the League in any shape or form. The address that she received showed her that the target was staying in a hotel. The quipped Nyssa's interest. It was rather strange to be given the assignment on a target while they were visiting a city. Her target was staying in a hotel on the better side of the city in a nice hotel. Not rather high class but close enough (like a Hilton). Nyssa debated getting herself a room there after taking out her order. With that thought in mind, she snuck into the hotel and began to make her way to the target's room. She was on a particularly high floor and trying to get in through a window would be taking unnecessary risk and making things harder for herself. Once she was inside the hotel, she took the stairs and made sure to avoid anyone she could possibly run into.

When she reached the room of the target she easily jimmied her way inside. Just as she suspected the lights were off and when she concentrated her hearing, she could hear the distinct sound of heavy breathing. The target was sleeping as predicted. She pulled out a knife and began to quietly make her way to the target's bedroom. Her footsteps made no sound and neither did her opening of the bedroom door. Once she was inside the bedroom she felt the rush of excitement at being so close to a kill. Followed right after that was the thought of how Laurel would feel if she knew. That thought stopped Nyssa dead in her tracks.

Laurel would hate to see the person she truly was. Nyssa didn't allow herself to dwell on it long and made her way to the bed, not making a sound at all. As she came closer, she saw a mane of hair that was very familiar. But she ignored the similarity, made her way to the side the target was on, and pulled out a knife to slit the target's throat. Once she was an arm's length away from the target, she could see her face. What she saw nearly caused her to drop her weapon. She backed away as silently she could manage in her shocked state, staring at Laurel's sleeping form with wide eyes.

Nyssa's mind raced with so many thoughts that she couldn't even keep up. The first thought that clearly hit her was that her father sent her here, which filled her with a rage. That bastard did this on purpose. Which led her to the thought of that Laurel was on the League's radar and was in grave danger. Nyssa was broken out of her mental ramblings as Laurel turned, facing her now. She was still sleeping and looked peaceful, unaware that someone was sent to end her life that night.

Nyssa felt a warmth that had been missing for months flood through her. She was just as beautiful as she remembered. She stood there for minutes on end simply staring at the sleeping lawyer, trying to engrain every inch of her face into her mind. Nyssa couldn't make her feet move and didn't think she had the power to just leave and not say anything to her. There was no way she was carrying out this assassination, but that meant others would come to finish the job. Laurel needed to be warned that there was a target on her back.

Nyssa slowly approached her again and slowly reached out with a hand towards Laurel's face and brushed some fallen strands away. Laurel reacted to the touch by furrowing her brow but she did not wake. Nyssa brought her hand to her shoulder and shook her lightly. It took a second for Laurel's green eyes to flutter open. The sight that greeted Laurel made her believe that she was dreaming. With sleep still clouding her mind, she smiled sleepily up at Nyssa's form, "Nyssa", she whispered.

The assassin couldn't help herself, she smiled back softly through her mask and return her greeting, "hello, Laurel", she said quietly.

Laurel's smile widened as for a moment before it hit her that she wasn't dreaming and that Nyssa was truly there. She sat up in alarm, "Nyssa?!"

Hearing her voice raise, Nyssa moved forward and clamped a gloved hand over her mouth. Despite the barrier of leather, Laurel still fought off a shiver at her touch. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other and the only thing visible of Nyssa's face were her eyes due to her mask. Nyssa stared intensely into Laurel's as she spoke, "lower your voice. You might alert someone",

Laurel nodded and Nyssa slowly removed her hand. Laurel looked at her with a shocked expression, trying to wrap her mind around her presence, "what are you doing here?" she asked with bewilderment.

At the question, Nyssa looked away, unsure as how to explain the situation. Laurel looked at her in confusion, put off by her behavior. She then looked down and noticed the knife in her hand. A since of dread filled her as she put the pieces together. Nyssa's arrival in her hotel room late at night, her attire and her aversion of the question. "You're here to kill me?" she asked horrified as she scooted away from Nyssa. Nyssa brought her gaze back to her and removed her mask and hood, baring her face completely to Laurel.

She vehemently shook her head at Laurel, "I didn't know it was you. I would rather die than ever hurt you, Laurel", Nyssa declared. The look on Laurel's face made her stomach churn and filled her with a sickening feeling. Seeing the distrust the distrust in her eyes, with a hint of fear, and something that Nyssa couldn't exactly name stung deeply within her. "Don't look at me like that," she said desperately.

"You came here to carry out an assassination. My assassination", Laurel replied with exasperation. Part of her wanted to laugh at how the predicament between them just seemed to get worse and worse. But instead she stared at Nyssa and instead of feeling the warmth she had associated with her, she now felt fear.

"I would never do such a thing. You must believe me when I say that I didn't know that you were my target", Nyssa explained. When Laurel didn't respond, she reached over and grabbed her hand tightly in hers. She took a deep breath and began to speak again, "you know my ability to take life. You know that I am not like you, that my heart is darker than yours", she then brought Laurel's hand up and placed it over her heart, "but I do have one and it beats for you and it would never allow me to hurt you", she said earnestly, looking Laurel intently in the eye.

Laurel's weary expression melted away and she looked at Nyssa with confusion, "your father sent you here? Why?"

"I thought that he would leave you alone. I don't know why he would send me after you, but I won't let this slide. He went too far this time". Nyssa stated.

Laurel rolled her eyes, "this time?" she questioned as she climbed out of bed and headed out of the bedroom with Nyssa on her tail looking at her questioningly.

"Where are you going?"

"I figured that we could catch up before you left. Since as you're going back but at least I have a heads up this time. Perhaps I will even get a proper good-bye", Laurel said while heading to the kitchen and not turning to look at Nyssa who winced at her words. She was upset about the way Nyssa left and rightfully so. Nyssa remembered how she felt when she woke to an empty bed when Sara went back home.

"Laurel", she began softly, "I know my departure was rather abrupt but it had to be done", at this, Laurel turned to her and gave her an incredulous look. She stared at a rather sheepish Nyssa for a second before shaking her head and continuing her journey to the kitchen. Once there she set up a pot of coffee and kept her back to the assassin.

Nyssa sighed softly and approached her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and felt Laurel tense under her touch, "I had to leave. I thought that was what-" she was cut off by Laurel quickly turning around and fixing her with a hard glare.

"So you leave early in the morning? Do you know how much that hurt?" Laurel questioned angrily. when she had woke up in bed alone with only a note for company had deeply stung. She understood Nyssa's reasoning for going back home but the way she did hurt. Laurel thought that they were going to spend some time together before her departure. But what she got was a one night rump before Nyssa took off without looking back. This played on her insecurities that were created from past relationships (Oliver's cheating) and had her thinking that she was the only one who had her heart in it that night. She knew that it wasn't true but Laurel couldn't completely quiet that little voice in the back of her head.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you, I just couldn't stand to tell you good-bye. I knew that if you had asked me to I would have stayed. At the time I thought staying meant a death sentence for you and I couldn't allow that to happen", Nyssa tried to explain. She wasn't one that was good with words especially when it came to how she felt. By the look on Laurel's face she was doing an awful job of explaining herself and seemed to be only making the situation worse.

Laurel scoffed at her and turned back to finish putting the pot of coffee on. While she busied herself with the task, Nyssa was left to stand behind her awkwardly as she tried to find the right words to get Laurel to understand and to dissolve her anger. She looked down at her boot clad feet and let out a sigh. She swallowed her pride and spoke again, "I'm sorry", she said softly.

Laurel who had finished with the pot of coffee, turned around and look at her in surprise, "what?"

Nyssa's jaw clenched as she looked up to meet Laurel's green eyes, "I'm sorry", she repeated. She looked to be very uncomfortable as she fumbled with her hands and stood in a very tense manner. Her demeanor reminded Laurel of the first time Nyssa reached out to her to talk. "The way I left was cowardly. I should have given you the proper good-bye that you deserve. Instead, I left in a way that was for me and only ended up hurting you more. For that, I am deeply sorry and I completely understand how you feel", she said honestly.

Laurel stared at her for a moment as if trying to gauge her honesty. Nyssa became even tenser as the silence stretched. Finally, Laurel sighed and replied, "Apology accepted", she said softly.

The tension within Nyssa's body dissipated and she gave Laurel a small smile. With the air now being eased between them, Nyssa stepped closer and grabbed Laurel's hand, "I've missed you", she said earnestly.

Laurel looked at her with emotion shining in her eyes, "I've missed you too", she replied softly as he gave Nyssa's hand a squeeze. They stood there for a moment staring deeply into each other's eyes under a spell. Laurel felt like they on the verge of breaking their promise and decided to end the moment. She pulled her hand away from Nyssa's and busied herself with fixing them both cups of coffee. Nyssa stood behind her feeling the change in the air and the fact that Laurel was pulling away from her. Once she was finished, Laurel turned around and handed a cup to Nyssa and led her to the small table sitting in the living room.

Nyssa looked down into her cup and smiled softly, "I haven't had coffee since I went back", she stated before taking a sip.

"I guess I'm not cut out for the League after all. I'd rather die than go on that long without coffee", Laurel said jokingly causing Nyssa to chuckle softly. "So, how is the League life treating you?" Laurel asked.

The small smile on Nyssa's face faded slowly and she frowned slightly "I hate it", she said simply.

Laurel blinked in surprised, "what do you hate about it?"

"Everything",

"You loved it before",

"True, but you were right. I'm not that person anymore",

"I guess you can understand why Sara left",

Nyssa nodded, "Life outside of the League of Assassins is so enriching. I don't see how anyone who has experienced life outside of it can stand it",

"Plus no killing", Laurel added, causing Nyssa to pause. "I know you, Nyssa. You're not that killer anymore", she continued. Nyssa didn't know how to respond to that. Instead she remained silent and took another sip from her cup. She didn't want to tell laurel by how wrong she was. That she was someone who got a thrill from the kill.

Nyssa didn't like this subject and decided to ask something that had been bothering her, "what are you doing here in Gotham?"

"Work. In Starling, we have someone who is being charged with murder that was found not guilty for a murder here. They circumstances of the murders are rather similar. I'm just meeting up with the D.A. to discuss what happened in that case", Laurel answered. They then fell into a silence that stretched on for minutes.

"Who's the suspect?" Nyssa asked curiously.

Laurel shook her head with a smile, "you know I can't tell you. I have an oath to uphold",

"I have an oath as well. One that I'm willing to break for you", Nyssa stated in a serious tone.

Laurel tilted her head slightly, "where's the honor in that?" she said teasingly.

"Perhaps there isn't honor in this… agreement,"

Laurel sobered and frowned, "why would that be?" she asked rather harshly. She didn't like what Nyssa was implying. How could there not be honor in respecting the memory of Sara?

"Because Sara would have wanted us to be happy instead of torturing ourselves", Nyssa replied strongly.

Laurel stopped short. Her mouth fell open as she tried to find the perfect retort but couldn't think of anything. "Don't you think she would have wanted us to be happy?" Nyssa questioned. Laurel ignored her question and gathered their cups to go wash them. Nyssa looked over to Laurel who was in the kitchen washing their cups. She let her eyes sweep over her profile for a moment and came to a decision.

She got up from her seat and walk directly behind Laurel, who froze at her sudden closeness. Nyssa brushed her hair to one side with a hand and began to set a trail of kisses on her neck. "Let's be happy, Laurel", she murmured against her skin. Laurel felt her eyes flutter shut as she melted into Nyssa's body. Nyssa pushed her body flush into Laurel's, trapping her between her and the counter and continued her ministrations on Laurel's neck. Nyssa then slid one hand up Laurel's shirt slowly, making a destination for her breast. When her hand reached its destination, she gave a slight squeeze as she licked the shell of Laurel's ear.

Laurel's breathing became labored and her mind clouded with fog. She tried desperately to remember why they couldn't be together, unfortunately due to Nyssa's actions she was coming up short. "She would want us to be happy", Nyssa said huskily in her ear. She then withdrew her hands from Laurel's body and turned her around to face her.

Laurel's eyes slowly opened and when they did, Nyssa smirked at the cloudiness she saw in them, proud of her handiwork. "How can you be so sure that she would be okay with this?" Laurel questioned once she had her wits about her.

Nyssa brushed a strand of hair from Laurel's face as she answered, "Because you did the same for her with Oliver. Sara wouldn't be the person we knew if she held this against us",

Laurel smiled softly and Nyssa took that as her saying her saying yes. She moved in to kiss her but was stopped by a hand on her chest. Nyssa looked at Laurel puzzled. "Don't leave me tomorrow morning",

"I have to return to Nanda Parbat to pick a bone with my father. But I will return",

"That's dangerous",

"Perhaps but I will not let this slide. He still wants you dead and worst of all he sent me to do it. I told you he knows me inside out and this is part of some bigger plan for him",

"I know the consequences for not carrying out an order. I don't think he has any qualms about killing his own daughter and it's not worth it",

"You are worth it. I won't stand by and let him put a target-" Nyssa was cut off by Laurel crashing her lips into hers. She returned the kiss immediately as she forgot what she was trying to say. As the kiss deepened, she felt her cloak fall from her and began to tug at Laurel's shirt. They had to break the kiss momentarily for Nyssa to pull over her head. She dropped it on the floor, where it joined her cloak.

Before diving in again, Laurel spoke "are you going to be here when I wake up?" she asked breathlessly.

"Most certainly", Nyssa answered before reengaging their kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Laurel woke as her eyes slowly opened. She was greeted to the image of Nyssa propped up on an elbow, staring down at her. Nyssa smiled softly at her, "morning",

"Morning", Laurel replied with a smile of her own. "You stayed,"

"I told you that I would be here when you woke up. But I must leave today. This was expected to be a rather fast mission and I do not want my father sending anyone after me", Nyssa stated, playing with a strand of Laurel's hair.

Laurel felt her heart drop at Nyssa's words. She had a long meeting today which meant they weren't going to be able to spend time together. She looked over at the clock sitting on the bedside table. Seeing what time it was, she let out a dejected sigh and turned her attention back to Nyssa, "I have a meeting and I'm running late", she said apologetically. Nyssa looked rather disappointed at her words but did not argue. Instead she gave Laurel a quick peck on the lips and climbed out of bed. Laurel followed her example and then headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

When she came out of the shower and into the living room, she saw that Nyssa was dressed in some of her clothing. Due to the height difference, they were a bit long on her. "I did not think it would be wise to roam around in my League attire during the day", Nyssa stated at her questioning look. "They're a bit long but they will do",

Before Laurel could retort, her an alarm on her phone went off signaling the beginning of the meeting. Looking at her phone, Laurel cursed silently under her breath. She placed her phone back into her purse and looked at Nyssa sadly, "I have to go", she said softly.

Nyssa walked over to her and grabbed both of her hands, "we will only be separated momentarily. I will come back",

Laurel managed a smile despite her heavy heart. Regardless of what Nyssa said, she knew that there was a chance that she wouldn't return. She heard the stories of what happened to those who disobeyed him, "bring my clothes with you when you come back",

Nyssa smirked, "I will make sure of it", she then kissed Laurel fully on the lips as a good-bye.

* * *

Please leave a review telling me what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Here is the third chapter and I hope you all enjoy the read.

* * *

 

Laurel grunted as her fist connected with the perpetrator's face, sending him reeling backwards into the side of car. He was momentarily stunned, but when he regained his wits, he charged back at Laurel with a punch which she easily dodged. She retaliated with a boxing combination that ended with a right uppercut. He hit the grown even more stunned than before. Laurel stood above him, starring down at him with cold, green eyes. He looked to be groggy and out for the count. However, considering what she caught him doing, on top of the need to work off the worry that had been clinging to her insides, she was far from finish with him.

She straddled him and then began to rain down hard lefts and rights into his face. Letting out harsh grunts as she did. With every punch she let out the anger and disgust she felt for the would be rapist, her ever growing hatred for Ra's Al Ghul, and the anxiety she felt from hearing no word from Nyssa who had went back to face her father two days ago. She was so enraptured into what she was doing that Laurel didn't notice the damage she was doing to her knuckles nor the calling of her code name. She was only snapped out of her trance by two strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her off her target, "lay off, Canary!" the person scolded.

Laurel broke free from her grasp and turned to look Huntress in the face. She looked at Laurel with hard eyes, "you need to cool it. That was uncalled for",

Laurel looked at her with wide eyes, "uncalled for? You saw what he was going to do!" she shot back.

"The guy is scum but you don't get the right to do that. On top of that, we both know what this truly is about", Helena retorted strongly. Laurel huffed and rolled her eyes and began to walk down the alley. Helena sighed and began to follow after her. She caught up with her by the time Laurel had reached the end of the alley and began to head towards her parked bike in front of the alley. She moved to block Laurel's way and look her directly in the eye. Laurel frowned at her friend, not feeling up to having this conversation but she made no move to go around her.

"What?" she huffed.

"I get that you're upset and worried. I've been there but you can't go around beating people half to death to deal with it. Trust me, that's not a road you want to take",

Laurel looked away as she felt the brunt of her emotions hit her. She knew that Helena was right but it didn't lessen what she was feeling, "it's been two days", she said her voice breaking at the end of her sentence.

"I know", Helena replied softly, "but Nyssa is a big girl and I'm sure she's okay. From what you have told me, I'm sure she can take care of herself,"

Laurel let out a humorless chuckle as she met Helena's gaze with tears in her eyes, "what about tomorrow? Or the next day? And the next day? Do you think she will be okay, then?"

Helena didn't know how to answer that and simply looked at Laurel with sympathetic eyes.

"Every second that passes increases the chances that", Laurel paused for a moment and swallowed thickly, "that she's not coming back", Laurel balled her fists up as all of the horrific possibilities that could have happened to Nyssa ran through her mind. It was only then that she felt the sting of the damage she did to her knuckles. She winced at the stinging pain and held her hands out in front of her, seeing the damage. Both of her hands were covered in blood and would take days to heal. Seeing the damage as well, Helena grabbed Laurel's hands to inspect them closely.

"C'mon, let's call this in and head back to patch these up,"

Half an hour later, Laurel sat in a chair in the Birds of Prey HQ (or the Bird's Nest as Cisco called it) as Helena worked on her damaged hands. She was lost so deep in her unpleasant thoughts that she barely registered the sting from the alcohol wipe. Helena's worried eyes flickered for her hands to Laurel's face momentarily. She could see the dark circles under Laurel's eyes and the desolation that shined within them. Breaking the silence, she spoke softly, "you know, I am really forward to meeting Nyssa. Hopefully she can take away your broodiness," she joked. Laurel didn't seem to hear her as she continued to stare down at the floor, her expression unchanging.

"I keep thinking it over and over. Her chances of coming back on her own are slim to none. Firstly, she could be executed if she hasn't been already. Secondly, there's no way he would let her just leave again", Laurel stated, looking up at Helena.

Helena looked at her curiously as she reached for the bandages to wrap up Laurel's hands, "what exactly are you getting at, Dinah?"

"We bring her back", she stated simply.

Helena looked at her in disbelief, "are you insane? That's a suicide mission",

"Nyssa going back to get her father off my back was a suicide mission. Her choosing not to kill me was a suicide mission. Hell, all of us going up against Prometheus was a suicide mission. On top of that," Laurel paused momentarily, "I don't think I could survive another loss. Not her," Laurel stated earnestly. She had lost so much in the last ten years. While now clean, her depression and addiction was always around the corner considering the things she saw and what she went up against as the Black Canary. Losing another loved one, especially Nyssa would break her.

Seeing the expression on Laurel's face, Helena felt herself melting and let out a sigh. They were all going to die in Nanda Parbat, "we're going to need A LOT of help on this", she said dejectedly.

A spark ignited within Laurel's dead eyes, "I know. We have Ollie's team, Zindah, and some friends that owe me one that I met in Gotham",

"Batman? What favor could he possibly owe you?"

"Not him exactly, but some associates of his. One goes by the name of Nightwing and the other Oracle"

"Oracle? You know him too? People have been trying to figure out who he is for years now. You've seen him?"

Laurel nodded, "yep, and it's her,"

"Another Felicity?" Helena asked now very intrigued.

"Not exactly. They have very different personalities. You'll understand if you get the chance to meet her",

Helena made a face at that but then shrugged it off. She then finished wrapping up Laurel's hands, "alright then. When do we start?"

* * *

 

_Two Days Earlier_

Nyssa walked down the hallway to the grand room with fire flowing through her veins. There were no words to describe the rage she was feeling. She was now certain that she hated her father, she flat out hated him. What he sent her to do was despicable. She stopped in her tracks for a moment as she tried to reel in her emotions. She closed her eyes and balled her fists at her sides and took in a deep breath. She failed to complete a mission, which meant that she was in enough trouble as it was. Coming at him with an attitude would only make things worse for her.

Feeling her emotions under more of her control, she began walking once again. Once she reached the room, she tried her best to not glare at her father with the hatred she felt for him, He had his back to her and didn't react to her presence but she knew that he was aware of her. "Father", she said quietly, feeling the explosion that was bound to happen underneath the surface.

"Is she dead?" he questioned with his back still to her.

"Laurel is alive. Did you really think that I would do it?" she said, her voice remaining eerily calm.

"I was hoping that my old daughter would have risen again. That you would have become that woman you once were before meeting Sara and continue to be this weakling", he replied turning to face her finally.

"I am not weak", Nyssa replied her voice stronger now as she balled her hands up at her sides and dug her fingernails into her palms.

Ra's tilted his head slightly at her, "you are. At first, it was Sara. Your devotion for her blinded you. You began to think and act with your heart rather than your mind. When she passed it only became worse. Part of me hoped that taking away your birthright would bring you to your senses but it didn't. Instead, you began to fraternize with the other Lance girl. She only made it worse",

"You're wrong. They made me stronger", she retorted with emotion.

"It only makes it worse that you think that. Have you not seen yourself, girl? Ever since you have been back you've been moping over that addict," Ra's stated coldly.

Nyssa's eyes narrowed at him dangerously as she felt the volcano inside on the brink of implosion, "don't talk about her like that," she stated with a warning in her voice. Ra's eyes formed into a glare as he took a threatening step towards his daughter.

"Mind your tongue, girl",

Nyssa stood up straighter and she gathered the courage to truly stand up to her father. She fought off the familiar tingle of fear that her father had always been able to make her feel. "No. I have respected and feared you my entire life. Not anymore. You sent me to kill Laurel knowing very well what she means to me. You went way too far",

"I did it for you. So that you could rid yourself of this weakness and once again be worthy of being Ra's Al Ghul but I can see that I was wrong to give you this chance,"

Nyssa stopped short as her mouth fell open in shock, "what?" she was so taken aback that she hadn't realize that she was speaking in her native language.

"I was going to give you your birthright back in return of killing Laurel,"

Her birthright. It used to be her entire identity, the Heir to the Demon. Even when she was with Sara it was still all she saw herself as. It wasn't until she left the League and Laurel befriended that she could slowly start seeing herself more than that. Despite those two years away from her father's rule, it was still hard to see herself more than what her father had always equated her to her entire life. But that wasn't what she wanted anymore. Finally having her wits about her, she replied, "even with that knowledge I would not have done. Laurel is everything to me",

Her father looked at her with utter disappointment. A look that used to make her feel such shame and like a failure. But now, she was indifferent to it, "I was hoping that it would not have to come to this. But you will be what I want you to be, Nyssa", She looked at him confusedly. Before Nyssa could respond, she felt a sting in her neck as Ra's shot her with a dart that caused everything to fade to black.

* * *

 

"I can't believe that you were able to get Bruce to let us borrow all of this stuff", Laurel muttered to Dick, ensuring the others couldn't hear her utter the secret identity of Batman.

Nightwing gave her a charming smile in return, "what belongs to him belongs to everyone in the Batfamily. The Bat Wing, the Batarangs, Bat Mobile, and Bat bikes you name it. On top of that, Bruce is always willing to stick it to Ra's in any way possible,"

They were all currently on a huge fighter jet that was equipped with everything that they could possibly need for this mission. Everyone was seated and buckled in against the walls while Lady Blackhawk was in the cockpit flying the jet with Artemis keeping her company. Dick and Co. had brought many weapons, equipment, and even vehicles that may come in handy. For this mission they had to bring many other people along. This list of people going to Nanda Parbat was Nightwing, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Arsenal, Speedy, Artemis, Robin (Tim Drake), Batgirl (Stephanie Brown), Black Bat (Casandra Cain), and Oracle who was back at the Bat Cave ready to give whatever help they needed from there.

"With the group and equipment that we have, I think we might actually have a chance," Laurel said with hope.

Nightwing raised an eyebrow at her, though she couldn't see due to his mask, "you went on this mission with the intention of dying?"

Laurel shook her head, "not really. But I couldn't just sit back at home twiddling my thumbs while Nyssa's chances of coming back diminished day by day. I had to at least try to bring her back,"

Nightwing nodded in understanding. He unbuckled his seatbelt and stood, "alright listen up," he began getting the attention of the others, "we will split up into pairs. Each pair will be given one of these," he stated as he held up a small device in his hand. He turned it on and a mapped popped up, "this is a map of Nanda Parbat. Use it to make your way around the place. Once and if you find Nyssa Al Ghul, let everyone else know through the comms. We will wingsuit it to ground and split up from there. Any questions?"

"I have one", Cassandra spoke up quietly, having everyone turn to her, "do we get to pick who we partner up with? I choose Spoiler",

Robin spoke up with a dissatisfied frown on his face, "no fair Cass. You always get to partner up with Steph," he complained.

"Hey, there's enough for me to go around", Stephanie spoke up with a grin on her face.

"Enough", Nughtwing said with a shake of his head, "The pairs have already been created. Black Canary will be with Huntress, Batgirl will be with Black Bat, Robin you're with me, Speedy will be with Arsenal, and Lady Blackhawk will be with Artemis. You are paired with the person you will work best with, due to experience together, personality, and what the other can bring. Everybody good?" everyone nodded and Dick to his seat again next to Laurel and Huntress.

"You planned all this?" Helena asked him, leaning past Laurel.

He shook his head, "nope. Oracle did",

"I've got to meet her", Huntress said impressed as she sat back.

Laurel relaxed more as she felt their chances of completing this rescue mission rise but there was still the question of whether or not Nyssa was still alive. She pushed those thoughts away and tried to think positively. She was going to find Nyssa alive and well and they were all going to bring her home.

* * *

Please leave a review telling me what you think.

Well, this story was supposed to be a one shot. Then people wanted more so I made a second chapter but the way that ended absolutely called for a rescue mission with a large party. Hence we now have the Birds of Prey and Bat Family heading to Nanda Parbat here. I figured that there was no way in hell that Ra's would just let Nyssa leave if he didn't execute her for not completing a mission. 


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the fourth chapter. I hope you all enjoy the read

* * *

Laurel opened one eye then the other slowly, waking to the image of Nyssa lying beside her in bed with the sun's first rays shining through the blinds in her bedroom. Seeing her coming to, Nyssa smiled and reached out with a hand, brushing away fallen strands of hair from Laurel's face, "I was wondering when you would wake up", she said softly.

"I got you back", Laurel replied, her voice barely above a whisper and strong emotion showing on her face.

"That you did", Nyssa stated simply with a smirk. She then rolled over on to Laurel, pressing her nude body into Laurel's. She leaned down, bringing her face close to Laurel's who responded by closing her eyes, leaving her mouth agape in anticipation for a kiss. She waited for a moment, then opened her eyes when she didn't feel Nyssa's lips touch hers. She saw that Nyssa was mere inches from her face, looking down at her with an intense look in her eye, "you did well, Little Bird", she said with pride.

Laurel chuckled and rolled her eyes, "I hate it when you call me that",

Nyssa's eyes danced with humor, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "I know. Would you prefer Pretty Bird?" she questioned before closing the gap between them, finally bringing her lips to Laurel's, who hummed in contentment at the kiss. Laurel buried her fingers in Nyssa's hair who deepened the kiss by angling her mouth. She moaned into Laurel's mouth at the feel of her nails lightly dragging across her scalp.

Laurel rolled them over all the while keeping their lips intact. Once she had Nyssa on her back, she pulled away to catch her breath She looked down to see the assassin's eyes had darkened considerably. "That's pretty cheesy", she said teasingly, her voice breathless from the kiss.

"Then perhaps Dinah?" Nyssa replied with a smirk.

"That's even worse. Do you know how weird it is to hear my mom's name while I'm naked in bed with you?"

Nyssa reached up and entangled her fingers through Laurel's blondish locks, "Little Bird it is then", she murmured before roughly bringing Laurel's mouth to hers. The kiss was hot and demanding, much more passionate than the one previously shared and it lasted for minutes. Laurel broke the kiss by dragging her lips down to Nyssa's neck. She planted soft and sensual kisses as she made a path downwards. She then began to drag a hand up the inside of Nyssa's thigh, who reacted to the wondering hand by spreading her legs. "Don't stop, Laurel", Nyssa moaned softly, tilting her head to offer more room. Laurel quickly glanced up to her face to see her eyes flutter shut. Laurel's hand slowly went higher and higher….

Laurel's eyes snapped open. She sat up in confusion and looked around. She noticed that she wasn't in her bed with Nyssa but actually on a plane with several other people. She felt her heart drop as realization dawned on her. It had all been a dream. She sighed sadly and ran her hands down her face.

"Good thing you're up. We're almost to our destination. Get what you need and get ready to go", Helena said, standing before her with her crossbow and wingsuit on. Laurel nodded and got up to get ready for one of the most important missions of her life.

* * *

_One Day Earlier_

Nyssa slowly came to as she laid on the cold, hard ground face first. She looked up to see her father looking down upon her with cold, menacing eyes. Not wanting to seem weak in front of him, she forced herself up to a kneeling position with the intention of standing until he placed a hand on her shoulder, a warning sign for her not to get up. She was kneeling before him, something that she promised herself she would never do again after he sent her after Laurel.

She stared up at him defiantly, but made no other move to stand, "what are you doing?" she asked dangerously.

"Training session, my child. Pick up your sword", he stated, pointing to the weapon that was beside her. He then turned and walked a few feet away from her as he rid himself of his robe and unsheathed his sword, not turning to face her. Nyssa watched him with a wary eye before doing what he said and slowly getting to her feet. She took a fighting stance and clenched her jaw. He finally turned to her and fixed her with a cold eye, "Here is a wager, girl. You lay one, single hit, one single scratch then I will let you go. You will be free to go be with that addict", he told her coldly.

"If not?"

"Then you will stay and claim your birthright once again. You will show the ultimate allegiance to the League. If you ever leave, if you ever dwell longer on a mission to go see that girl, then as punishment, I will strip the skin from her very bones right before your eyes. Do you understand, Nyssa?"

She dwelled on it for a moment. All it took was one hit and then she would be free. She could do that, land one hit on him and she gets to leave this forsaken place behind and go back to living the life she grew to love. One with simple pleasures and happiness. Most importantly, Laurel. A life with Laurel. Kind, fierce, beautiful Laurel. She gave a curt nod and tightened the hold on her sword. Ra's looked at her with a lint in his eye, "you will never see her again",

She smiled at him, her former confident self shining through, "by this time tomorrow I will be in her arms", Nyssa replied. She meant it. There was nothing going to stand in her way from getting back to Laurel and her father out of their lives. She took a breath and charged at her father, swinging her sword. He easily blocked the hit, something that she had been expecting. She went at him again, swinging the broadsword from left to right. He blocked the hit with his sword and they began a back and forth battle.

This went on for a few minutes until Ra's dropped down and kicked Nyssa's feet from under her, sending her to the ground tumbling backwards. She hit the ground with a thump, dropping her sword. Before she could get to her feet, Ra's put a foot on her chest. He pressed down with it ensuring that she couldn't move, "I have been going easy on you girl and you have yet to land a single hit on me. You have not even come close",

His words set Nyssa off, she felt a rage ignite within her which she used to push his foot off her and get to her feet with her weapon in her hand. To her surprise, Ra's didn't wait for her attack and went on the offense. Thanks to years of working on her reflexes, she blocked his hit with her sword and quickly retaliated. He attempted to move out of the way of the hit but was not fast enough this time. Had he been a mere centimeters farther away from her she would have missed. She got him directly across the chest. The scratch was rather long but not very deep. It wasn't life threatening in anyway.

"I got you", she said in disbelief, coming out of her stance as she lowered her sword right along with her guard (big mistake). Ra's looked down at the wound and then looked up at her with anger in his eyes. After the initial shock wore off, a smile broke across her face, "Give me my pardon", Ra's didn't respond. His eyes hardened at her, causing her smile to dissipate, "you said-"

"I lied", he growled before closing the distance between them and hitting her square in the jaw, turning her world black once again.

* * *

Laurel gave a nod to Huntress, signaling that she was ready for the jump. They jumped together out of the plane that was on autopilot to circle around Nanda Parbat until they had Nyssa in their custody. "One, two, three", the Birds of Prey members jumped together, just as the other assigned pairs did. Laurel felt fear and exhilaration run through her as she fell out of the sky. She opened her arms and used the wingsuit to guide her through the air.

While scared, she couldn't help but bask in the speed (though slowed down due to the wingsuit) at which she was going and let out a short laugh. While a terrifying experience, she always found fun in the feel of skydiving (which she only ever did if the mission called for it). Being the last two to make the jump Huntress and Black Canary were the last two to get to the ground. Once there, they set off to their assigned places to search for Nyssa. Along with each pair having their assigned places to search, the plan was to use stealth and only take on an adversary if absolutely necessary. They were also told not to engage with Ra's Al Ghul. The only member of their group fit for that was Cassandra Cain and she was only to do so if absolutely necessary.

With that in mind, Laurel and Helena headed to the quarters area, using the map they had, to see if Nyssa was being kept there. They stealthily made their way inside the walls of Nanda Parbat. Once inside, they did not get very far before they came across two guards. One was headed down the corridor in the direction that they needed to go and the other was heading towards them. Helena and Laurel stood on opposite corners, with their backs to the wall. Huntress peaked around the corner from her position then looked over to the Black Canary and gave her a nod. Laurel was going to take the guy coming towards them and Helena would dispense of the other.

Laurel waited and focused on the footsteps that were coming closer to them. Once he was close enough, she moved off the wall, turned around the corner and grabbed him. As she dealt with him, Huntress zipped down the corridor to get the other assassin. By the time he turned around, Helena had ran off the wall to deliver a powerful kick to the face. Laurel, who had dispensed of her guy walked towards Helena, "show off", she said with a shake of her head. Helena smirked in return as she leant down to pick up the fallen assassin and dispense of his body. Once she had him thrown across her shoulder, Lady Blackhawk's urgent voice comes through their earpieces, "we've been made. They know that we're here", Helena cursed silently under her breath as she mindlessly dropped the unconscious man. No need in hiding him now.

Laurel felt a wave of panic hit her. That just lessened their chances of finding Nyssa in time, let alone them getting out of here alive. "We need to move", she stated urgently, already heading to the down the hallway.

* * *

Nyssa paced her room as she thought of what to do to get out of this situation. She had two choices: she could try to leave and go back to Starling or she could stay here and fulfill her father's wishes. While the first one meant being free from her father and being with Laurel, it also meant putting Laurel in danger. There was no doubt in her mind that her father would make good on his promise to skin Laurel alive while forcing her to watch. The thought alone made her shiver. The second option meant being miserable and alone in the world of assassins. She didn't feel the allegiance she used to feel towards the League, she most certainly didn't feel any loyalty towards her father. Her pride and ego screamed at her to not give in to her father but they were no match for the love and concern she felt for Laurel. Nyssa plopped down on her bed dejectedly. She was going to stay. Her happiness was not worth the lives of those who would stand against her father when he came for her. It was most certainly not worth's Laurel's life.

Just then, her door opened and her father entered the room. She regarded him with a glare and jaw clenched. She noticed that the hand he had knocked her out with was slightly bruised. She fought the urge to touch the black eye she was sporting thanks to him.

He didn't say anything at first as he stood before her. She took his silence as a chance to speak, "one thing you have taught me is to be a woman of my word. To uphold what I say and make through on my promises", she gave him a snide smirk, "the Daughter of the Demon has more honor than the Demon himself",

"You should regard me with the respect that any father deserves from their children, girl", he said coldly.

A sneer formed on her face, "respect? What respect does a man who does not live up to his word deserve? You and I both know that I should have been pardoned from the League. But no, like the snake you are you lied and have kept me here to get what you want. Just know, I will become the Heir once again and that should be enough to get you to never go after Laurel again",

Ra's tilted his head and gave her a stare that filled her stomach with dread, "it seems that I will not need to come after her," he stated smoothly.

"What?" she asked as the feeling in the pit of her stomach became heavier. She stood slowly, hoping that he saying what she thought he meant. Laurel could not have been that foolish.

"She is here," he watched as horror came across his daughter's face. Her mouth fell open and the color drained from her face. She tried to speak but she couldn't seem to be able to form the words.

She finally seemed to be able to gather her wits enough to respond, "Father, please don't", she pleaded. She knew what he was capable of and the punishment for infiltrating Nanda Parbat. Laurel and whoever she brought with her were as good as dead.

"Don't what? You know the punishment for infiltrating this place, Nyssa. Her death right along with the others will serve as an example for those who dare stand against us. I will give you the courtesy of not having to watch her execution", with that said he swiftly left the room with a swish of his robe, leaving behind a terrified Nyssa.

* * *

Laurel and Helena raced down the corridor in a desperate search for Nyssa. They came to the end of the hallway and were going to turn the corner when they heard the opening of a door. They stopped and placed their backs against the wall, with Helena closest to the corner of the hallway. She peeked around to see Ra's Al Ghul himself exit a room and head down the opposite way of the corridor, thankfully. She let out a breath and turned to the Black Canary, "Ra's just left a room. I think that would be a good place to check for your girlfriend", she whispered softly.

"Is he gone?" Laurel whispered back. Helena took another peek to see Ra's turn around the corner, leaving the coast clear. Helena quickly turned back to Laurel and gave her a nod in affirmation. They then quickly and silently made their way to the door that Ra's had exited. Once there, Laurel readied to open the door while Huntress pointed her crossbow at the door, waiting to shoot if they ran into an unfriendly. Black Canary quickly glanced at Huntress who gave a curt nod to open the door. Laurel gave a huff and opened the door, and she came to the picture of two brown eyes that had come to warm her heart, "Nyssa!"

* * *

After her father had left the room, Nyssa only took a second to come to the decision that she was going to set out to find Laurel and get her out of here. With that in mind, she headed for the door. Before she could even grab the knob, the door opened and revealed Laurel and some woman she did not know. Though, her attention was mainly on Laurel who exclaimed her name at the sight of her. Laurel pulled her into a fierce hug which she returned, "this was foolish, Laurel", she said into her hair.

Laurel laughed softly, feeling a great relief wash over her, "you're worth it",

Helena cleared her throat, "sorry to break up this reunion but we need to get going so that we can regroup", Nyssa broke away from Laurel and looked at Huntress curiously.

"Nyssa, this is Huntress. Huntress, this is Nyssa", Laurel said, motioning between both women. They simply nodded at each other. Laurel then took this time to inform the others of them having collected Nyssa. Nightwing called over the comms that they needed to get outside as soon as possible. Laurel then broke communication line and turned her attention to the two women with her, "we need to leave now",

"I will lead. I know this place better than the both of you", Nyssa stated as she started down the corridor with the other two following behind. They didn't get very far when they ran into several League members armed with bows and arrows. Huntress shot off her crossbow while Laurel who only had her baton, and an unarmed Nyssa quickly closed the distance to eliminate the threat of the arrows. Together, the Black Canary, Huntress, and Heir to the Demon eliminated the group of assassins with surprising ease. "We make a good team", Laurel said breathlessly.

"You would make a great addition to the Birds of Prey", Huntress told Nyssa, who was picking up her usual choice of weapons from the fallen assassins.

She stood up with a bow in her hand and stared at Helena curiously, "Birds of Prey?"

"I will explain it all to you once we're out of here", Laurel said.

Nyssa decided to let it go for now and started to lead them towards the outside world of Nanda Parbat once again. As they were walking down the hallway, nearly to the exit, they heard the whooshing sound of an arrow. Nyssa turned to see Laurel crumple to the ground with an arrow protruding from her back.

* * *

Holy cliffhanger Batman! Please leave a review telling me what you think. I have a question, should i make Nyssa lose another beloved? ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Here is the fifth chapter of the story. I hope everyone enjoys the read.

* * *

Nyssa looked down at Laurel's befallen form in horror as a whirlwind of emotions swirled up inside. Her mouth went dry, terror clutched her heart and rage ignited within her as she looked up to see the person responsible. She met the cold blue eyes of her father who had an arrow drawn and pointed in their direction. Seeing him, Nyssa quickly drew her bow at Ra's. Laurel moved slightly and let out a painful groan, bringing both Nyssa's and Helena's concerned eyes to her. This only lasted for a split second before both women returned their concentration to the enemy.

"I am going to kill you!" Nyssa shouted vehemently. Her fingers itched to let the taut bow string go and let the arrow fly directly to her father's head, killing him. She could feel herself trembling, her emotions so turbulent. Truth be told, this moment, the hatred, and the anger had been building her entire life. Targeting Laurel was an oversized tipping stone in everything.

Jaw set, Nyssa was ready to shoot the arrow but was stopped by the pained murmuring of her name. She looked down to see Laurel looking at her with glossy green eyes, "Don't. Fighting him will end badly", she wheezed painfully. Nyssa let her emotions override her common sense even more. Her mask of anger melted away and her eyes softened with emotion. She lowered her bow slightly and let herself put more attention on Laurel than her enemy.

The need to check on Laurel took first priority as she took a step towards her but was stopped by Helena who placed her free hand on her shoulder, "focus", she muttered softly. "None of us will make it out of here if we give him an inch"

Nyssa was snapped out of her slight haze. She gave Laurel one last quick look of concern before setting her eyes back on Ra's and righting her bow. She could have sworn there was a smirk on her father's face but it was gone as quick as she had seen it.

Laurel began to move even more and started to get to her feet, despite the pain. She got to her hands and knees, she then turned around and used her canary cry, letting out an ear piercing scream that made her companions grimace and Ra's fly back into the wall, rendering him unconscious. Using her canary cry took a lot out of her and she fell down into a heap. Nyssa and Helena quickly recovered and ran to pick her up. They each wrapped an arm around their shoulders and carried her out of the building. The others were just outside waiting for them.

"We need to go. Now", Nyssa said urgently once they reached them.

"Ra's is going to be up and on our heels any minute", Helena added as she adjusted Laurel's weight on her shoulders.

A blonde woman wearing a black hat and a black jacket stepped up and made her way to the trio, "you okay, Di?" she asked worriedly, a country accent decorating her words.

"I'll be fine. It just hurts", Laurel answered weakly. The group then began to make their way to the plane that was some yards away. They were about half way there when League members came crawling from all sides surrounding them. Nyssa let out a string of Arabic swear words as she looked around at the people she once considered family. The oldest looking male with the blue bat on his chest, who had also been leading the group turned to her, "get her to the plane. The device she has can open the doors for it. Zinda, go with them to give us air support. We'll cover you"

The blonde pilot quickly came over and took Helena's position of supporting Laurel's weight. The trio went as fast as they could to the plane as the others ensued in an all-out battle. When they reached their destination, Zinda took out the mapping device from her utility belt and opened the doors to the plane. They quickly went inside and Zinda led them to the small medical table that could be pulled out from the wall. After giving Laurel fully to Nyssa, she quickly pulled the table out. Both women helped Laurel out of her jacket before gingerly placing her on the table face down. Together, they inspected the wound for few seconds before coming to a consensus, "we don't have time to tend to it properly. I must go back out there and you have to fly this plane", Nyssa noted. Zinda nodded grimly and casted a worried expression to Laurel.

"It ain't all that deep", Zinda reluctantly pointed out. Nyssa's face scrunched slightly at the insinuation. Laurel inwardly groaned as she knew what had to be done.

"Pull it out", she stated firmly despite her foreboding feelings.

Nyssa's eyes flickered to her face, "Laurel-"

"Just do it".

Nyssa looked Zinda who nodded before firmly holding Laurel in place. Laurel herself tensed as Nyssa got s tight grasp on the arrow. She heaved a deep breath and then swiftly pulled the arrow out.

Laurel was able to control herself enough to stifle the scream that bubbled up inside. Instead, the sound came out as several broken pained groans. Her knuckles turned completely white as she squeezed the edge of the table before her, fighting against the pain. When the groans subsided, she released deep, ragged breaths.

Nyssa visibly winced at the sounds she made. Patching Laurel up was always proven to be a chore. No matter how bad her injuries, Laurel never, ever took anything due to her addiction. Try as she might, seeing Laurel in such pain always had an effect on Nyssa. She fought to regain her composure as a grim expression took over her features.

Zinda looked at her friend rather proudly, "you're as tough as they come, Di. Didn't even need a bullet,"

Despite the pain, Laurel managed a slight smile. Then the arrow that had been embedded in her body, now tightly grasped in Nyssa's hand that was hanging by her sided, caught her eye and her gaze narrowed. The arrow head wasn't pointed but was made to be blunt, missing he sharpness that was needed to end someone. It was a non-lethal arrow. Zinda who began to busy herself with wrapping up Laurel's wound with gauze, didn't notice it. However, Nyssa did notice the location of Laurel's gaze. She raised the arrow to eye level to inspect it more closely. She became incensed once she realized her father intended for Laurel to live.

Laurel looked at her quizzically, seeing the mask of anger on her face, "I would think that this is a good thing", Laurel said quietly, still feeling the pain from the arrow being extracted from her.

Nyssa's eyes flickered away from the arrow to Laurel's face, "it means you are alive but my father spared you for a reason",

"That being?" Zinda asked, now done with the gauze. Laurel looked up at the assassin, her curiosity aroused as well.

Nyssa frowned slightly, "to skin her alive, in front of me", she answered in a deadpan tone.

"Ah", Laurel replied awkwardly. That was a disconcerting thought.

"Damn, your dad is one evil son of a bitch," Zinda quipped as she shook her head.

"Indeed", Nyssa agreed. She didn't even know the beginning of it. Her father had been cold and callous towards her for her entire life. Some of it she didn't know exactly how awful it was until she told either Sara or Laurel and they reacted with horror.

Nyssa pushed her thoughts away and grabbed her bow. With Laurel patched up and safe, Nyssa turned to the exit ready to go help the others. She was stopped by Laurel grabbing her hand. She looked down at the lawyer with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Be careful", Laurel advised with worry. Nyssa's eyes softened as squeezed Laurel's hand comfortingly and gave a single, curt nod. Slowly, Nyssa let the warm hand drop from hers. She then turned and walked to the exit to the plane where she stopped momentarily. She heaved a deep breath, raised her bow and rushed outside. She shot down two enemies that were heading towards the plane as soon as she stepped out. Quickly, Nyssa made her way over to the others who were in a tight circle formation. They were fighting off League members that were coming from all sides, trying to do the best they could despite being outnumbered.

One person in particular caught her eye. She had on a black suit with a yellow bat across her chests. Her movements were out of this world and she seemed to be able to easily guess every opponent's move. There had been one person that Nyssa knew that could move like that but she had left the league when Nyssa was just a teen. All attempts to get her back had failed miserably.

Beyond the large group contained of assassins and vigilantes, Ra's stood in front of the entrance to Nanda Parbat with another wave of assassins. The plane behind Nyssa began to rise into the air and levitate. It reached a certain point and began to extract its weapons and point them towards the tunnels of Nanda Parbat. Zinda's voice ranged loudly over the intercom, "let us go or I blow the whole damn place up", she warned. Nyssa turned back to her father to see what he was going to decide. She would be lying if she said that part of her wanted the fight to continue on so that she could get the chance to end him. Then again, she didn't want this place that had been home for most of her life to be leveled.

She watched him with narrowed eyes as he mulled over his options. After a few moments, he raised his hand in signal for the assassins to stand down. He focused his gaze on her with eyes blazing. He smirked at her and it was clear as day. A shiver went down her spine and she swallowed thickly. That didn't bode well. Her jaw tightened, she sent him a fierce glare, "if you ever come for her again, I will kill you, Father. I swear it", she stated loudly enough for him to hear her, her voice harsh and cold.

He didn't respond to her words. Ra's turned on his heel and went back into the inside world of Nanda Parbat with the League following his example. Once they were inside, Zinda began to land the plane and everyone climbed aboard. With everyone safely inside the plane, Zinda started the journey home. As soon as she was on board, Nyssa made a beeline for Laurel who was sitting on the medical table. Laurel's face lit up as she watched Nyssa quickly close the distance between them. Once she reached the vigilante, Nyssa stopped directly in front of her. She hesitated for a moment before closing the distance between them and hugging Laurel tightly.

The Laurel grunted in pain which caused Nyssa to pull back with her hands holding Laurel by the arms and a look of guilt on her face. "Sorry, I'm sorry", she apologized softly.

"Its fine", Laurel said softly with a small smile. There was a certain light in Nyssa's eyes that made Laurel's breath catch. It was only there for a second before Nyssa's stoic mask was put into place, which slightly confused Laurel. Nyssa didn't need to hide anything from her. Nyssa then took a step back, putting space between them. Her eyes momentarily flickered to the others that were standing about and chatting amongst themselves.

"Lay down on your stomach. I will attend to your wound accordingly", Nyssa all but commanded. Laurel sighed and did as instructed. Nyssa went and gathered the needed supplies. Which included a first aid kit, more gauze, a blow torch, and a thin metal plate.

With everything she needed in hand, Nyssa made her way back to the medical table to see Laurel quietly chatting with Speedy and Huntress. "I need room to work", she told them quietly. They began to walk away but Huntress was stopped by Nyssa. "I need someone to hold her down",

Huntress nodded in understanding and took her place beside Laurel. Nyssa placed the supplies down and began to get to work on Laurel. First, she lifted up the lace top Laurel wore, then she removed the gauze that had been a quick fix. With the wound now exposed, Nyssa took out some wipes from the first aid kit and thoroughly cleaned the wound. Laurel hissed quietly at the sting but did not move. There was a sense of dread in Laurel's stomach. She knew that Nyssa had to close the wound and that this was only the beginning. That was going to be painful.

Once the wound was cleaned, Nyssa pulled out the blow torch and metal plate. She held the metal place closely to the wound and gave a nod to Huntress who took this as her cue to hold Laurel down to the table. Laurel gripped the edge of table before her so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her body tensed dramatically as she closed her eyes tightly. Nyssa picked up the blow torch and used it on the metal plate. Laurel let out a scream in pain, unable to hold it in this time. Huntress had to tighten her hold on her, which was proven not to be enough. Laurel jerked and moved around, her body instinctively trying to get away from the pain. Nightwing quickly came over to assist in holding Laurel down. Everyone else watched with grimace, cringing at the sight before them. Nyssa did her best to ignore the loud cries and focused on getting the job done.

It took only about 30 seconds but to everyone, especially Laurel, it felt like an eternity. Once she was finished, Nyssa put blow torch and metal plate down. Laurel's twitching and jerking deceased just as her cries. They became harsh, ragged, and quiet sobs. Slowly, Huntress and Nightwing released the lawyer from their hold and backed away. Nyssa applied some ointment to the now closed hole before applying more gauze to the wound.

"Should that do it?" Huntress asked the assassin, eyeing Laurel worriedly. Nyssa nodded silently.

"Though, I would say that the Black Canary is going to be out of commission for some time", Nightwing chimed in.

"I can manage", Laurel said weakly.

Nyssa's fierce gaze focused on her, "you are in no condition to be out in the streets, Little Bird", she said sternly.

"I second that. You're on the injury reserve until further notice", Helena added. Nightwing's eyes shifted awkwardly between the three women. He decided to leave them to their dispute and go join the others. That was a personal team matter.

"Says who?" Laurel argued, her voice stronger now.

"Says I, your mentor", Nyssa shot back. Laurel didn't respond as she huffed and relaxed onto the table.

"Laurel, you're not even allowed into our headquarters until you're all healed up", Helena ordered before walking away towards the cockpit.

The lawyer sighed dejectedly, "what am I supposed to do, then? With all that free time?"

Nyssa bent down, bringing herself eye level to Laurel and their faces mere inches apart, "I will keep you occupied", she said low enough so that only Laurel could hear.

Laurel raised an eyebrow, "how so?" she asked, and her voice slightly breathy.

Nyssa smirked, "I will teach you my native language", she then pulled back slightly with her smirk deepening.

Laurel frowned, "that wasn't what I had in mind",

"Oh?"

"I was thinking of something more fun",

" _That_ will come later. You are in no condition for such activities. You can barely talk", nyssa stated, referring to how small Laurel's voice was.

"It's not that bad", Laurel replied, her voice still brittle. Nyssa gave her of look of doubt, which Laurel took as a challenge. To prove herself to be correct, Laurel mustered all her strength and began to push herself up to sit on the edge of the table.

Nyssa's eyes widened in alarm and she quickly closed the distance between them, grabbing a hold on her. "Laurel", she admonished strongly, a disapproving frown on her face. Laurel used Nyssa's presence to get herself in the position she wanted to be in. Once she was sitting on the edge of the table, she grabbed the assassin by the cloak and pulled her closer, putting her in between her dangling legs. She then wrapped her arms tightly around Nyssa, hugging her. Nyssa tensed up at the sign of affection.

"I will admit, that hurt like a bitch but I've been dying to hold you again. So please, drop the stoic thing and hold me too. Who cares about other people seeing your soft side", Laurel said with the pain obvious in her voice. Her wound was killing her and the last few days had her nerves and emotions run ragged. She was not in the mood for Nyssa to have her walls up.

Nyssa hesitated for a moment before closing her arms around her beloved. She let out a breath as she relaxed into Laurel's body. For the first time in months, Nyssa was at peace. "The past few days have been the most anxiety inducing days of my life", Laurel admitted, her voice muffled by Nyssa's shoulder. "I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and I was practically useless at work. I was always thinking about what your father could have been putting you through",

"He wanted to make me the heir again", Nyssa said softly in her ear. "He still does and even if i appeased him, he would still want you dead. Worse than that is he wants to make it slow and painful",

"So? We'll take on whatever he throws at us. Together", Laurel replied.

Nyssa pulled back to look at her in the face. Laurel was pale and there were obvious dark circles under her eyes. The signs of her injury and the stress of the past few days evident. A ball of emotion welled up in her throat at the look in Laurel's eyes. Nyssa took a moment to regain herself before replying, "my father is quite the challenge. This was a victory he allowed today,"

"Still, we take him on. Even if I become a casualty, you should be free to live your life as you choose. Freedom is worth fighting for,"

Nyssa looked down, losing herself in her thoughts. Perhaps freedom was something to be fought for but not for the likes of her, a born and bred lethal weapon. Made for one singular purpose, to serve the will of Ra's Al Ghul. Laurel brought her face up by the chin, causing Nyssa to meet her soft gaze again, "you can be free and happy. You just have to fight for it and put effort into making it happen",

Nyssa shook her head, "so much of the League is still within me", she said softly.

"I know. But it's only a part of you, not all of you,"

Nyssa smiled softly as though Laurel's words appeased her doubts. There had to be more to her than what her father forced into her. She had lived freely from it all for two years after all. She had felt so out of place during the five months she had returned, like she didn't belong there.

The conversation was interrupted by Huntress who came back from the cockpit, "Blackhawk said we'll be in Gotham in about ten hours or so. You should try to get some rest until then and when we get there. Take up a hotel room for a night or so",

"No need for a hotel. We can fix her up with a place", Nightwing called over. "A nice place at that. You can stay there as long as you want, Canary. You need some serious rest and relaxation after taking an arrow and being burned with a blow torch",

"I have to work-"

"I'm sure that you have piled up ample vacation time," Nyssa cut in.

"Think about it. A little vacation in Gotham, with her", Helena chimed in, pointing her head towards Nyssa. Laurel brightened and brought her attention directly to Nyssa.

"A few weeks to ourselves sounds lovely", the assassin stated.

That was appealing to Laurel. They could make up the months they had been apart. "Alright, I will take you up on your offer, Nightwing", she agreed, getting a bright smile from the prodigy of Batman.

"Please, give yourself time to heal up. Stay away from strenuous activity", Helena advised. Her eyes momentarily went to Nyssa, " _all_ strenuous activity", she finished with a smirk before walking away.

"Sometimes, I really can't stand her", Laurel muttered as she glared at the Italian woman's back.

"She's right on both accounts. You should get some rest and relax your body. Lay down and get some sleep," Nyssa commanded sternly. Laurel was going to protest but stopped herself at the stern look Nyssa gave her. With a sigh, she laid back down on the table with Nyssa's help. With Nyssa's safety being ensured, her mind was at ease and the past few days finally caught up to her. An exhaustion that she could not fight settled deep into her bones. Not even within a minute, Laurel was fast asleep.

* * *

The next chapter will be the last one and I will have this story all wrapped up. The next chapter will be a fun and happy one with these two enjoying their time in Gotham City. Please leave a review telling me what you think. Also leave some ideas about a fic I can do with these two.


	6. Chapter 6

Here it is, the final chapter. I hope everyone will enjoy it. This chapter took some time due to me not being satisfied. There was quite a bit of erasing what I had wrote and rewriting paragraphs upon paragraphs. My Onedrive also decided to be a dick and not save the more final draft of this. I apologize for the long wait.

* * *

Laurel groaned quietly in pain as she sat herself across the table from Nyssa. They were one week into their vacation in Gotham and prior to this day, they had been not wondered out into the city. Nyssa was adamant about Laurel getting the rest she deemed necessary. Alongside taking Huntress's advice about Laurel not partaking in any strenuous activity.

"Are you alright?" Nyssa asked concerned, seeing the discomfort Laurel was in.

"I'm fine, Nyssa. Just a little sore", she reassured.

Nyssa looked skeptical but decided to leave it at rest. She was going to stop "nagging" as Laurel insisted. Though, Nyssa didn't understand what was so wrong with being concerned for someone she cared about so deeply. Perhaps it was an American thing. "Have you enjoyed your day?" Nyssa asked as she picked up her menu. They had been out and about around Gotham City for the entire day. They went to the biggest attractions the city had to offer along with hitting a few stores. Something that Nyssa found to be a pain but stuck with it for Laurel. "Have you enjoyed your day, Laurel?"

Laurel smiled genuinely as she looked at her menu, "I have enjoyed my day very much", her smile then became playful as she looked over her menu at the assassin, "I look forward to enjoying my night as well", she drawled with a glint in her eye.

Nyssa looked up at her from her menu with a raised eyebrow. She was met with a seductive smile and wink from Laurel. Nyssa rolled her eyes and fought off a smile. She looked down at her menu and murmured, "If you're up for it",

"I am. I'm healed up enough", Laurel replied.

"We'll see", Nyssa said nonchalantly.

"If I can handle ripping and running around all day, then I can handle a roll in the hay",

"Not with me", Nyssa replied lowly. Laurel looked at her challengingly but didn't respond.

Finally, the waitress arrived and they placed their orders. When the waitress was walking away, Laurel watched amusingly as Nyssa jumped in her seat. She bumped against the table causing a loud bang and bringing the attention of the waitress back to them.

Laurel feigned surprise while Nyssa looked rather sheepish. "My apologies. I hit my knee on the table". That seemed to appease the waitress who continued on her way. Nyssa turned back to Laurel with a scowl, "stop it", she ordered.

"What?" Laurel asked with fake innocence.

Nyssa stiffened and let out a small gasp as she felt the sensation of Laurel's foot travel up the inside of her leg again. She had opted for a skirt for the evening and the feel of Laurel's foot going up the inside of her bare leg sent an electric jolt right between her legs. When the wondering foot reached about her knee, Nyssa reached down and roughly pushed it away. Laurel smirked at her. " _That",_ Nyssa iterated. Laurel let out a small laugh which irritated Nyssa further. "I do not like being teased".

"But babe, you make it so easy. I can't resist", Laurel replied, eyes twinkling with humor. Nyssa's irritation dissipated as something hit her. A fond smile slowly creeped upon her face that made Laurel suspicious. "What?" She questioned cautiously.

"You're happy. We're happy", Nyssa said with realization. "When was the last time you could say that, Laurel?"

Laurel frown in contemplation as she thought for a moment. "I'm not sure", she answered honestly. A complacent smile then crossed her features "But it feels nice",

"I'm going to strive to keep you feeling this way", Nyssa stated.

"You as yourself make me happy. You're what I want, Nyssa", Laurel replied earnestly.

Nyssa reached out with a hand and grabbed Laurel's, "you have me, all of me", she said sincerely. But there was something in her eyes that made Laurel uneasy.

Before Laurel could question her about it, the waitress interrupted the conversation with her return with their orders. The pair ate and kept up conversation on another subject. Laurel was still catching Nyssa up on what she had been up to during her five month absence. Nyssa was still curious about the formation of the Birds of Prey, particularly, how a fighter pilot from World War II was on the team. Laurel had also been prodding Nyssa with questions about those five months on her end. The most that she got out of Nyssa was that she despised being in Nanda Parbat. It was obvious to Laurel that whatever occurred during that time period, Nyssa was keeping a tight lid on.

Once they had finished their dinner, the pair exited the restaurant and began to walk back to the apartment that was lend to them. Laurel felt the chill of the cold, Gotham night air. She laced her fingers through Nyssa's and moved closer to her. Nyssa welcomed the contact and squeezed Laurel's hand. "You get cold so easily", Nyssa stated as they walked.

"Not all of us had training on icy mountain tops while we were still in diapers," Laurel shot back.

"I was not in diapers. I was five when my father first took me to the mountain tops", Nyssa replied with a small smile.

Laurel let out a small laugh, "like that's such a huge difference. Did you go to the mountains when you went back?"

Nyssa's jaw clenched visibly and her hold on Laurel's hand tightened, "once", she forced out.

"I take it that the experience was unpleasant", Laurel sighed in reply, her breath visible in the cold air.

"Nothing about the League of Assassins is pleasant," Nyssa said stiffly, looking away from her.

Laurel looked at Nyssa but didn't say anything. She was left wondering if whatever happened on the mountain was such a horrible experience due to something happening to Nyssa herself or Nyssa doing something to another for the League. She had a gut feeling that it was the latter.

The rest of the walk was done in silence. When they arrived to the apartment, Nyssa placed herself on the couch in a huff. She leaned her head back and let a deep breath as she stared at the ceiling. Laurel walked up behind her and blocked her view. She grabbed her shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze, "it would probably stop eating away at you if you talked about it",

"It would probably be best to not talk about it", Nyssa replied softly.

"Why is that?"

Nyssa's face became troubled as she struggled to find the right thing to say. When she didn't respond, Laurel leaned down despite the flare of pain she felt and wrapped her arms around her neck. She brought her lips to Nyssa's ear, "Whatever happened in Nanda Parbat or whatever your father had you do, you can tell me. When you're ready, "she whispered softly. Nyssa nodded to which Laurel gave her a kiss on the temple.

Laurel then made her way to the bedroom. When she got to the door, Nyssa's voice stopped her dead in her tracks. "I did quite a lot of killing. Most of it seemed unnecessary",

Laurel slowly turned to her, confusion clouding her features. It was a no brainier that she had to kill but seeing her demeanor, Laurel went to the couch and sat beside her. Nyssa had her head bowed and her hands tightly grasping her knees. Her hair was covering her face, leaving it invisible to Laurel. "I know. It's not called the League of Assassins for nothing",

Nyssa shook her head and her body became even tauter. From what Laurel could see, whatever Nyssa wanted to say next she was struggling to get out. Laurel scooted over and closed the distance between them. She wrapped her arm around Nyssa's tense body and laid her head on Nyssa's shoulder. Slowly, Nyssa's body relaxed into her embrace. She then closed her eyes tightly as she forced her next sentence out. "It's more than that. I enjoyed it. Partly at least", Nyssa admitted.

A silence creeped upon them. As it stretched on, Nyssa felt a ball of dread well up in her stomach. Laurel hadn't moved from her position but her non-response had Nyssa thinking the worst outcome was going to occur. At least she had been honest. "Did you enjoy it before? Before you left the first time?"

Nyssa blinked in surprise at the question but answered nonetheless, "more than I do now. Then, I prided on trying to be like  **him**  and on being this warrior that bid to the will of the League and Ra's Al Ghul. But now after experiencing this world with you, everything is different. I just kept thinking that if you knew or if you could see….," she trailed off.

"See what?" Laurel murmured in her hair.

" _That_ part of me, that's blood thirsty". Nyssa answered. "It goes against everything you are and everything you believe in. It's a reflection of how I am like my father. Do you want someone like that, Laurel?" she questioned, her hands once again tightening their hold on her knees.

Laurel brought her head up from Nyssa's shoulder then. She finally caught on to what Nyssa was thinking and what she had got a glimpse of during their dinner. She lifted Nyssa's head up by the chin, making the assassin look at her. The sad look in Nyssa's eyes made her heart break a little. It also made her more determined to make her point. "I don't see you as a blood thirsty monster. A monster is your father who kills and destroys lives without thought. You're not your father and I most certainly don't hate you,"

Nyssa looked skeptical and shook her head, "part of me is my father and it's something that I cannot rid myself of,"

"I know that there's a darkness in you but there's so much more to you than that. You have a beautiful heart that allows you to love with every fiber of your being and you're so loyal," Laurel said with conviction. Nyssa looked shocked by her words and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Laurel starting up again, "and you're my best friend, in fact you're one of the best friends that I have ever had. That being because you're so easy to talk to. You can be so open and kind once you let people in",

Silence fell upon them then as Nyssa stared at Laurel trying to find the right words to say. Her mouth hung open, her face clouded with emotion that Laurel couldn't label and her eyes shining. "I don't know to say" she said awkwardly, after a few beats.

"Don't say anything. Just understand that I love you and I see you for all that you are," Laurel stated, brushing a strand of hair from Nyssa's face.

Nyssa nodded hesitantly, "I understand," she replied. That was good enough to earn her a smile bright that made her chest constrict and a deep kiss. She ended up being pushed back to lay on the couch as Laurel pressed her body into hers.

"I want every delicious inch of you. The good, the bad, the violent, the tender", Laurel murmured in between kisses. Nyssa made a low sound in the back of her throat. Perhaps from the kiss or what she said, Laurel wasn't sure. It could've been a combination of both. Nyssa's body undulated into Laurel's, sending a delicious shiver down Laurel's spine. She broke away momentarily and looked down at Nyssa with dilated green eyes.

Nyssa's own gaze was smoldering in return. She lightly traced a hand down Laurel's back, "Laurel, are you certain that you're healed enough?" She questioned with lust evident in her voice and a hand lightly running over where she knew Laurel's wound to be.

"I'm okay", Laurel answered thickly before descending her mouth to Nyssa's neck. She sucked on a certain sensitive spot that caused Nyssa to let out a low groan. She hiked up Nyssa's skirt and slid a hand underneath as she settled herself even more between Nyssa's legs. Laurel felt a hard pull on her hair and suddenly, her mouth was brought back to Nyssa's. Their lips clashed together in a passionate kiss as Laurel trailed her hand up Nyssa's leg, marveling at the soft, smooth skin. Nyssa entangled her fingers in Laurel's hair and slipped her tongue into the other woman's mouth. "God I want you", Laurel moaned into Nyssa's mouth.

Nyssa chuckled against her lips and pulled away as much she could. Her dark, brown eyes bore into Laurel's who looked confused and slightly miffed at the stop of smirked at her and gave Laurel's lower lip a tantalizing lick, "then take me, Laurel", she whispered. Laurel became even more inflamed at that, she bent her head down and pressed her mouth harder to Nyssa's.

* * *

"And you wanted to wait until I was fully healed", Laurel mumbled in Nyssa's ear, as she laid on top of her, on the living room floor. Nyssa let a breathy laugh and sighed contentedly, basking in her afterglow, all the while letting a hand run up and down Laurel's smooth bare back.

She licked her lips and then responded, "Pardon me for being concerned for your wellbeing rather than having a good lay", she rumbled.

Laurel raised her head and quirked an eyebrow at her use of terminology. Nyssa met her back with a teasing smile threatening to cross her features. "Sometimes I think you're the one that's centuries old with the way you speak sometimes",

"Really? And what would you say Ms.21st century?"

Laurel rolled her eyes at the jab, "I don't know. A good bout of sex? A great session of love-making? There are better expressions than a 'good lay'", Laurel said, mimicking Nyssa's accent.

"However you want to phrase the basic underlining still stands. Your health is much more important. You took that arrow for me after all,"

Laurel frowned in confusion, "no I didn't. I had no idea that arrow was coming,"

"You risked life and limb to bring me home. For that, you took an arrow for my life and freedom", Nyssa explained softly. "Thank you",

Laurel smiled brightly, "you're welcome. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat",

"I know you would", Nyssa replied quietly. They became silent then. Laurel laid back down, placing her head in the crook of Nyssa's neck and hand over her heart, feeling it beat through the assassin's chest. Nyssa continued to languidly trace her fingers up and down Laurel's back, while being mindful of her bandage. Her brow furrowed slightly as she remembered something.

"Did you read my letter, love?"

"What?" Laurel asked in return, her voice muffled. She had been on the verge of going to sleep and Nyssa's voice pulled her back from her near slumber.

"My letter that I had left behind all those months ago. Did you read it?"

Laurel thought for a moment then it hit her. The letter Nyssa had left on her pillow the morning she went back to the League. "To my dearest Dinah Laurel Lance", she drawled, as she pulled her face from Nyssa's neck.

"So you read it", Nyssa concluded.

"More like memorized it", Laurel corrected.

Nyssa didn't know what to say to that. She felt a wave of guilt hit her as she understood why Laurel read the letter so many times. It was a way to cope with her being gone. "I'm sorry, Laurel", she said softly.

"I know, there's no need to apologize anymore. You do have a way with words by the way",

Nyssa smiled softly, "you think? I was in such turmoil when I wrote it. I thought that it was all over the place with me trying to tell you how I feel",

"I got the gist of it. You had to leave to protect me and that it tore you a part to do so. I could understand that, in fact I would have probably do the same thing. Except I would wait until morning to tell you good-bye",

Nyssa winced, "Laurel, I'm-" she was cut off by Laurel placing a finger over her lips.

"I know", Laurel emphasized softly. She then bent down and placed a chaste kiss on Nyssa's lips before getting to her feet. Once she was standing, Laurel lent out a hand for Nyssa to take. Nyssa took the offered hand and Laurel pulled her up.

She then began to pick up her clothing that was scattered across the living room. As she was going to bend down to pick up her bra, she was stopped by two warm arms encasing her waist from behind. Melting into Nyssa's body, she covered Nyssa's hands with her own, "what?" she murmured in question.

"I'm not done with you, Ms. Lance", she purred in Laurel's ear. That earned her a sly smile. Laurel turned and tilted her head, her lips meeting Nyssa's in a slow, drugging kiss.

Once they pulled a part, Laurel made her reply, "I think the bed is much more comfortable than the floor,"

* * *

Sometime later, Nyssa reached out with an arm in an attempt to pull Laurel closer. However, rather than finding her warm body, she came in touch the cooling off sheets. That caused her brown eyes to open. She saw that the other side of the bed was empty. Nyssa sat up in confusion and looked around the room. Laurel was absent from the bedroom, nor was she in the bathroom. Nyssa turned her eyes to the bedroom door and saw a faint light shining through. Curious, Nyssa climbed out of bed and made her way to the door. As she got closer, she was able to pick up on Laurel faintly whispering.

Intrigued, Nyssa opened the door to see Laurel, now clad in a tank top and sweatpants (compared to her own nude state), bending over a laptop that was sitting on the side table near the couch, all the while murmuring on her cell phone. Nyssa frowned in suspicion at her back, "what are you doing?" she questioned in a clipped tone.

Hearing her voice, Laurel snapped the laptop shut and hung up her phone. She then turned to face Nyssa, a startled expression on her face. "Nothing", she answered quickly. Nyssa quipped an eyebrow at that and crossed her arms. She slowly approached the lawyer who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Nothing? It seems to me that you're hiding something, darling", Nyssa said as she closed in.

Laurel shifted uncomfortably and shook her head, "it's nothing to worry about, babe",

"Is that so?" Nyssa questioned once she reached Laurel. "Because knowing you, I believe that it is something to worry about",

"It's nothing, Nyssa", Laurel replied as she placed her hands on Nyssa's bare hips.

Nyssa smirked as she pulled Laurel closer by the waist, "what were you working on, Laurel? You might as well come clean now rather than digging a bigger hole for yourself,"

"Promise you won't get upset?"

"That all depends on whether or not you were going roof hopping tonight", she said half-jokingly. She doubted that Laurel would even think of doing that on her watch. Laurel looked away guiltily and didn't respond. "You were", Nyssa said angrily as realization dawned on her. She then took a step back, breaking all physical contact that they had. She fixed Laurel with a disapproving glare as Laurel looked at her sheepishly.

"The League is here in town," Laurel tried.

"Then let me handle it," Nyssa replied.

"Nyssa", Laurel began with a sigh, "I have enjoyed every second of the time I've spent with you here. At first, I didn't mind not working. But now I am really starting to feel cramped by not doing anything,"

"You are in no condition to be out in the field yet. We can venture out more to help you expel this energy",

"It's not energy, Nyssa. I just can't go long periods of time without working. In fact, this is my first time taking time off for a vacation,"

"Your reasoning does not change the fact that you're injured and weakened. They will sniff out your weakness and probably put shoot you in the exact same spot. I cannot stand by and just watch you put yourself in so much danger",

Laurel reached up and grabbed her softly by the face, "I get that you care and want me safe. But I am crawling up the walls here. Your father sent these guys after us. I don't want them hurting innocent people", she explained. "You can join me out there", she drawled as she wrapped her arms around Nyssa's neck and pressed her body into the assassin's. "Then, we can find a little rooftop to celebrate our victories", she murmured suggestively. She then shot an appreciative glance down Nyssa's body.

"I'm up here," Nyssa said deadpanned.

Laurel brought her eyes back up and smiled slyly, "you have a very beautiful, distracting body",

"Flattery will get you nowhere", Nyssa shot back.

"Okay then. Think about this. You can keep an eye on me and make sure no harm comes my way", Laurel offered.

Nyssa mulled it over. She knew that Laurel was going to go out there regardless if she tagged along. It was best to go to ensure she didn't die out there. Sighing, Nyssa agreed, "alright but I am in command of this outing", she said sternly.

Laurel nodded in appeasement, "fine by me. You know them better than me anyway", she then kissed Nyssa softly on the lips. "Thank you for this. I'd hate to go out there with you steaming mad at me", she said once they pulled apart.

"I can't let you go out there without me. I told you, I cannot stand by as you face danger", Nyssa replied. She had barely got the words out before Laurel scooped her up in her arms and placed her on the arm of the couch. "What are you doing?" Nyssa questioned in confusion.

Laurel answered by spreading her legs before dropping to her knees, "giving you a proper thank you", she said before bringing her mouth to Nyssa's center.

* * *

There's the final chapter. I couldn't help but make it a little angsty and that came from Nyssa needing to address some of the things she felt earlier on, her fear of how Laurel would view her. She is proud and she doesn't have any crippling insecurities but I think that she would want the approval of the woman that she loves. I also believe that any insecurities that she does have come from being seen only as the Heir by her father and nothing more. I also couldn't help but make her a bit of a mother hen because Laurel can be rather careless. I also view Laurel to be one of those people where they have to work or they will go crazy.

I am working on a one shot between these two but that will not be out for a while. I'm going to put my focus on my story Little Bird. Please leave a review telling me what you think and how I can improve.


End file.
